Package binding machine

ABSTRACT

A package binding machine feeds tape up through a table around a package thereon and then below the table again. A first clamping element elevates and holds the end portion of the tape against the base plate and a second clamping elevates so as to press the overlapping portions of the tape against the base plate after the tape is tightened around the package. A cutting heater projecting from the first clamping element is pressed against the tape to cut the tape and a welding heater melts the opposed faces of the overlapping portions of the tape, which are then pressed against the base plate to adhere them to each other.

Unite States Patent Taltami 1 Oct. 15, 1974 1 PACKAGE BINDING MACHINE 3,478,486 11/1969 Trcibcr 242/674 x 3,574,038 4/1971 Wolfe 83/568 [76] lnvemo i z l l f- 3,749,622 7 1973 Yoshimasa Sato 53/198 R x za- 1 aura, 1s 1 omima su, AmagaSakl-Shl Hyogoken Japan Primary Examiner-Travis S. McGehee [22] Filed: Aug. 8, 1973 Assistant Examiner]ohn Sipos [211 App] No 386 505 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Wenderoth, Lind 8L Ponack 57 B T [30] Foreign Application Priority Data L k b d A iT f d h h I pac age in mg mac me ee 8 tape upt roug a Aug. 30, 1973 Japan 48 88161 table around a p g thereon and then below the table again. A first clamping element elevates and '5 ggg i figgfig t gg holds the end portion of the tape against the base [58] Fieid 198 83/l 71 566 plate and a second clamping elevates so as to press the 83/568 355 f overlapping portions of the tape against the base plate 242/67 4 after the tape is tightened around the package. A cutting heater projecting from the first clamping element is pressed against the tape to cut the tape and a weld- [56] References Cited ing heater melts the opposed faces of the overlapping UNITED STATES PATENTS portions of the tape, which are then pressed against 1,944,022 1/1934 Bundick 156454335 X th b e plate to adhere them to each other. 3,298,265 1/1967 Millicean 171 3,368,323 2/1968 Wood 53/198 R 8 Claims. 11 Drawing Figures 3,470,814 10/1969 Tschappu 53/198 R X PAIENIED on 1 51914 SHEET 1 0F 7 PAIENIED 0m 1 51914 SHEET 2 UF 7 PAIENIEB m1 1 srsm SHEET 3 OF 7 BATi 3.84-1.055- Y saw u or 1 EAIENIEB 3.8419055 saw ans 7 FIG.9

s7 88 91 as PACKAGE BINDING MACHINE The present invention relates to a package binding machine which automatically constricts thermoplastic tape around a package and adheres the end portions of the tape by welding.

In conventional'package binding machines, the operations such as tape clamping, tape constricting, tape cutting, inserting of a welding heater between the overlapping end portions of the tape, extracting of the heater, and pressing for adhering the overlapping end portions of the tape were all conducted by manually turning handles connected to each mechanism for the above operations, resulting in reduction of operation efficiency and increase of packaging cost.

A primary object of the invention is to obviate the defects of the conventional machines, and to provide a package binding machine which automatically constricts and welds the tapes around a package.

This and other objects will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. .1 is a perspective view of mechanisms of the present package binding machine;

FIG. 2 is a control circuit diagram of the package binding machine;

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a starting mechanism of thepackage binding machine;

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a stopping mechanism of the package binding machine;

FIG. 5 is a sectional side view of a mechanism for operating a tape welding heater together with a tape pressing element;

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a mechanism for elevating and lowering a tape clampiing element;

FIG. 7 is a plan of the main part of the above;

FIG. 8 is a side view of a tape reel, partially broken;

FIG. 9 is a front view of the tape reel, partially broken;

FIG. 10 is a front view of a one-way delay clutch provided between the tape reel and a driving means therefor; and a FIG. 11 is a side view showing a travelling path of a binding tape wound around a package.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 11, numeral 10 is a supporting plate for supporting a package thereon, numeral 11 being a base plate mounted slidably in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1 so that the upper face of the base plate is positioned slightly below the upper face of the supporting plate 10.

A main cam shaft 12 is rotatably mounted right below said base plate 11, a main rotary shaft 13 parallel to said main cam shaft 12. being disposed at the front thereof so as to drive the cam shaft 12 through a oneway clutch 143, an axially movable clutch shaft 14 parallel to the mainrotary shaft 13 being disposed at the front thereof, an auxiliary cam shaft 15 parallel to said main cam shaft 12 being disposed slightly below the front portion of said base plate 11, said shafts 12, 13, 14 and 15 being rotatably supported by bearings.

A motor 17 incorporated with a solenoid brake 16 (FIG. 2) is provided as a driving means at the front of the clutch shaft 14, an output shaft 18 of the motor 17 being adapted to drive a change-over clutch 19 mounted on the clutch shaft 14. Said clutch 19 comprises right and left dependent rotators 20 and 21 rotatably and slidably mounted on the clutch shaft 14 so as to keep a suitable distance therebe'tween, said rotators having a pulley and gear respectively, and a prime rotator 22 with a pulley formed therearound rotatably but axially immovably mounted on the clutch shaft 14 between the dependent rotators 20 and 21, pairs of gears being formed on the confronting faces of said rotators 20, 21 and 22, said prime rotator 22 being adapted to be engaged with the one dependent rotator when disengaged with the other dependent rotator by means of said gears. Said prime rotator 22 is driven by the motor 17 through an endless belt entrained between a pulley thereof and a pulley of the rotary shaft 18.

A solenoid 23 is disposed at one end of the clutch shaft 14 with a movable core 24 of the solenoid 23 pivotally connected thereto, said core 24 being biased leftwardly by a spring 25. When a current is supplied to the solenoid 23, the clutch shaft 14 is pushed rightward by the core 24 of the solenoid 23 against the spring 25 to cause the prime rotator 22 to engage the right dependent rotator 20 having a pulley. When a current is cut off from the solenoid 23, the clutch shaft 14 is pulled leftward together with the core 24 by means of the spring 25 to cause the prime rotator 22 to engage with the left dependent rotator 21 having a gear. At this time, a switch 26 for starting the motor 17 is depressed on by the core 24.

A pulley 27 driven by the pulley of the right dependent rotator 20 through an endless belt is securely mounted on the main shaft 13, a gear 28 meshing with the gear of the left dependent rotator 21 being mounted on the main shaft 13, thereby transmitting the rotation of the motor 17 to the main shaft 13 in the same direction or reverse direction through the clutch 19 by the change-over thereof.

A rotation transmitting means 29 is mounted on the main rotary shaft 14 at the left portion thereof, said transmitting means 29 comprising a free pulley mounted between friction plates, one of the friction plate being biased by a spring so as to press said free pulley against the other friction plate thereby adapting said free pulley to rotate with the main shaft 13 but to stop to rotate when the free pulley is applied with a load larger than the friction between the friction plates and the free pulley.

A one-way clutch 30 is mounted on the auxiliary cam shaft 15 at the leftward end thereof, said one-way clutch 30 comprising a first rotator with a pulley rotatably mounted on the shaft 15, a second rotator engageable with said first rotator, and a friction disc biased by a spring to be pressed against the second rotator, said second rotator being adapted to rotate with the cam shaft 15 but to stop to rotate when applied with a load larger than the friction between the friction disc and the second rotator. An endless belt is entrained between the pulley of the one-way clutch 30 and the pulley of the transmitting means 29, saidclutch 30 being adapted to engage to cause the cam shaft 15 to rotate when the main rotary shaft 13 rotates counterclockwise but to disengage when the main rotary shaft 13 rotates clockwise.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 5, a guide plate 32 is slidably mounted below said base plate 11 at a slight space 31 for inserting a tape, the guide plate 32 being adapted to move rightwardly away from the base plate 11.

A cam 33 with a slanted cam groove formed therein is secured to the rightward end of the auxiliary cam shaft 15. A link 34 is disposed parallel to the cam shaft 15, one end of said link 34 being engaged with the cam groove of the cam 33, the other end of said link 34 being pivotally connected with one end of a rocking link 35 which is pivoted at the middle thereof and pivotally connected to the rear edge of the guide plate 32 at the other end thereof. When the cam shaft rotates clockwise to cause the link 34 to move rightward, the rocking link 35 is turned counterclockwise around the pivot thereof at the middle thereof thereby projecting the guide plate 32 below the base plate 11'. When the auxiliary cam shaft 15 rotates counterclockwise (the operation will be explained after), the guide plate 32 is slided rightward away from the side edge of the base plate 11 by the clockwise turning of the rocking link 35 by the leftward movement of the link 34.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a shaft 36 is rotatably mounted at the front portion of the base plate 11, an actuating piece 37 being fixed to the right end of the shaft 36, a pressing plate 39 being securely suspended at the left end of the shaft 36, said actuating piece 37 being adapted to be pushed by the end of a tape inserted in the space 31 to cause the shaft 36 to rotate so that the pressing plate 39 presses a switch 38 electrically connected to the motor 17 for starting it.

Below the level of the space 31 between the base plate 11 and the guide plate 32 are provided a front clamping element 40, a pressing element 41 for pressing the overlapped tape ends so as to adhere the melted surface thereof, and a rear clamping element 43 having a heater 42 for cutting the tape by fusing, said elements 40, 41 and 43 being adapted to move up and down in timed relations to one another after the guide plate 32 is moved rightward away from the base plate 11. A heater 44 for welding the overlapped faces of the thermoplastic tape is mounted at the rear of said rear clamping element 43 so as to be movable toward and away from the under-neath of the base plate 11.

As shown in FIGS S and 11, the rear clamping element 43 has a projection 46 on the upper face thereof engageable with a V-shaped groove formedin the rear portion of the base plate 1 1 so as to clamp the end portion of the tape when the element 43 is elevated. The element 43 is further provided with an aperture 64 at the upper portion thereof for slidably mounting a receiving plate 65, a tape inserting slit 45 inclined upwardly toward the front face of the element 43 below said aperture 64, and a groove 58 below said slit 45 substantially parallel therewith for slidably supporting I a plate 59 with a cutting heater 42 fixed thereon, said receiving plate 65 being biased rearward by a spring 66, said plate 59 being pivotally connected at the rear end thereof to a bell crank 61 which is pivoted at the middle thereof on the lower portion of the element 43 and which is pivotally connected at the front end thereof to a fixed element 63 thereby enabling the cutting heater 42 to project from or retreat into the element 43 according to the up and down movement thereof.

A knuckle link 47 is pivotally connected to the lower end portion of the rear clamping element 43, the lower end of said knuckle link 47 being pivoted on a suitable part of a casing of the binding machine. A horizontal link 48 is pivotally connected at the rear end thereof to the knuckle of the knuckle link 47, the front end of the horizontal link 48 being pivotally connected to an inverted L-shaped rocking lever 49 which is pivoted at the middle thereof and engaged to a projection 56 which is provided on a turnable plate 53 which is rotatably mounted on the main shaft 13 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6. As shown in FIG. 7, the turnable plate 53 is biased by a spring 51 to be pressed against a fixed ratchet wheel through a friction disc 52 whereby the turnable plate 53 is turned together with the ratchet wheel 50 as the main shaft 13 rotates. The turnable plate 53 is however adapted to stop to turn further while slipping when it is applied a load larger than the friction between the turnable plate and the friction disc. A ratchet is pivoted at the middle thereof on the front portion of the turnable plate 53 so as to engage with the ratchet wheel 50, said ratchet 55 being biased by a spring 54 counterclockwise.

A stopper 57 is provided in front of the turnable plate 53 in order to prevent the further clockwise rotation thereof by contacting to the front end of the turnable plate 53. When the main shaft 13 rotates counterclockwise, the turnable plate is turned in the same direction by the engagement of the ratchet 55 with the ratchet wheel 50 to cause the horizontal link 48 to advance forward by turning the rocking lever 49 clockwise by means of the projection 56, and the knuckle link 47 is extended vertically straight to cause the clamping element 43 to move upwardly. At this time, the upper end of the stopper 57 contacts with the upper portion of the ratchet 55, as shown by the dot-dash lines in FIG. 6, thereby disengaging the ratchet from the ratchet wheel 50. The turnable plate 53 tends to turn further by the friction between the ratchet wheel 50 and the plate 53 but stops while slipping due to the load on the turnable plate 53 by the clamping element 43 through the links 47 and 48 and the rocking lever 49 engaging the projection 56 of the plate 53.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 5, a shaft 62 is inserted into a hole provided in the underside of the tape pressing element 41, said shaft 62 being adapted to be movable in the hole within a predetermined range by means of a vertical slot which is provided in the upper end portion of the shaft 62 and a pin which is fixed to the pressing element and fitted to the vertical slot, said pressing element 41 being biased upwardly by a spring 67. A roller provided on the lower end of the shaft 62 abuts on a cam 68 mounted on the main shaft 12 thereby elevating and lowering the shaft 62 according to the rotation of the cam 68 so that when the welding heater 44 is inserted between the overlapping end portions of the tape, the pressing element 41 applies on the tape the pressure by the spring 67 biasing the element 41 upwardly and when the welding heater 44 is extracted from the overlapping portions of the tape after melting the surfaces of the tape, the shaft 62 is moved further upward while compressing the spring 67 so as to directly transfer the thrusting force of the cam 68'to the pressing element 41 through the shaft 62.

The front clamping element 40 is disposed in front of the pressing element 41 below the base plate 11 as mentioned before, said front clamping element being moved up and down by means of a cam 69 and adapted to clamp the overlapping portion of the tape by means of an upper sharp end thereof and a V-shaped groove provided in the underside of the base plate 11 at the front portion thereof.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, a slidable rod 70 is connected to the rear end'of the welding heater 44, said rod being guided by a suitable guide member (not shown) and adapted to project the heater 44 between theoverlapping portions of the tape beneath the base plate 11, the rear end of the rod being pivotally connected to the upper end of a link 71 of which the lower end is pivoted on the casing of the binding machine, said link 71 being biased by a spring 74 toward the base plate 11. A link 73 is pivotally connected to the link 71 at the lower portion thereof. A roller mounted on the front end of the link 73 abuts on a cam 72 which is adapted to cause the heater 44 to advance between the overlapping end portion of the tape synchronously with the upward movement of the pressing element 41 and to retreat after melting the overlapping faces of the tape which together with the heater 44 are pressed by the pressing element 41 against the base plate 11.

On the way of advancement of the heater 44, the front end of the slidable rod 70 engage the rear end of the receiving plate during the descent of the rear clamping element 43 thereby causing the receiving plate 65 to project from the front face of the element 43 and to engage the upper surface of the tape which is travelled through the slit 45. At this time the cutting heater 42 has been projected from the front face of the element 43 below the tape travelling through the slit 45. The pressing element 41 is then moved upwardly to contact to the lower face of the cutting heater 42 to push the same upwardly thereby holding the tape between the heater 42 and the receiving plate 65 to fuse the tape. The engagement between the receiving plate 65 and the slidable rod is released by the downward movement of the element 43.

A tape winding means 77 is disposed behind the link 71. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the winding means 77 comprises a tape reel 78 and a cover 85 for covering a roll of tape A mounted on the tape reel 78. The tape reel 78 comprises a pair of opposed semi-cylindrical members 79 one abutting edges of which are hinged by a hinge 80 and the other abutting edges of which are provided with projections 81 with a screw 82 threaded thereinto, thereby enabling to adjust the diameter of the reel 78 by revolving the screw 82. One of said semicylindrical members 79 is fixed to a rotary shaft 76 by means of arms 83 substantially concentrically with the rotary shaft 76. A roll of thermoplastic tape A having a core 84 is loosely mounted on said reel 78, thereafter expanding said reel 78 by revolving the screw 82 so as to fix the core 84 of the tape A in relation to the rotary shaft 76.

The cover 85 comprises a pair of opposed cylindrical members consisting of a circular side wall 86 having a hole at the center thereof for inserting the rotary shaft 76, an annular peripheral wall 87 integral with said side wall 86, and a tape guiding flange 88 projecting outwardly from the edge of the peripheral wall 87, and a cushioning member 89 made of rubber or sponge fixed to the inner face of side wall 86. A constricting means 90 such as nut is threaded on the rotary shaft 76 at one end thereof for constricting the cover 85 so as tosecurely support the same between the bearing 75 and the means 90. A space 91 between the opposed flanges 88 around the periphery of the cover 85 is adapted to be substantially the same width with that the of the tape A for pulling out and guiding the tape A. I i

A pulley 94 is rotatably mounted between rotatable friction plates 93 on the shaft 76 projecting from the bearing75, the outside one of the friction plates 93 being biased toward the pulley 94 by means of springs 96 which are secured at one ends thereof to a disc fixed to the shaft 76 and at the other ends thereof to a free disc between the fixed disc 95 and the outside friction plate 93, so that said pulley 9-4 is tightly held between the friction plates 93 thereby adapting said shaft 76 to rotate counterclockwise or clockwise according to the rotation of the pulley 94 thereby causing the tape A to be wound up on the reel 78 or loosened therefrom. The shaft 76 however stops to rotate due to the slippage between the friction plates 93 and the pulley 94 when a load larger than the friction force is applied to the shaft 76.

Said shaft 76 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise by the main shaft 13 through a one-way delay clutch 97 and endless belts. As shown in FIG. 10, said one-way delay clutch 97 comprisesa shaft 98 rotatably supported at both ends thereof by means of bearings, a screw thread 99 being formed from the leftward end of the shaft 98 to the middle portion thereof, a left clutch member 100 screwed on said threaded portion 99 so as to be movable along the shaft 98 according to the rotation thereof, a right clutch member 101 rotatably but axially immovably mounted at the right portion of the shaft 98, an opposed pair of engaging teeth respectively formed on the opposed faces of the left and right clutch members 100 and 101 so as to mesh with each other, a spring 102 fixed at one end thereof to the right clutch member 101 and at the other end thereof to the bearing supporting the shaft 98 for preventing the reverse rotation of the clutch member 101. An endless belt is entrained between the pulley 27 of the main shaft 13 and a pulley formed around the left clutch member 100, another endless belt being entrained between the pulley 94 of the shaft 76 and a pulley formed around the right clutch member 101 as shown in FIG. 1. Since said left c1utch member 100 is adapted to move toward the right clutch member 101 to engage therewith when rotated counterclockwise by the rotation in the same direction of the main rotary shaft 13, the reel 78 is rotated in the same direction to wind the tape A thereby constricting the tape A around the package B in the state shown in FIG. 11. When the main rotary shaft 13 rotates clockwise, the reel 78 is rotated clockwise for several times before the clutch members 100 and 101 completely disengage from each other.

Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9, a braking means 104 is disposed adjacent the outer periphery of the winding means 77 adjacent the position where the tape A is drawn out of the winder 77. The braking means 104 comprises a forked rocking member 105 pivotally mounted on a fixed element by means of a pin 103, said rocking member 105 being biased by a spring 107 away from the winder 77, braking shoes 106 secured to the rocking member 105 so as to confront against the cover 85 of the winder 77 so that the rocking of the rocking member 105 may cause the braking shoes 106 to contact to and separate from the cover 85, a rotary roll 108 bridged between the upper portions of the fork of the rocking member 105, and an adjustment shaft 109 vertically threaded into a fixed support, the lower end of said shaft 109 contacting to the upper face of the rocking member 105. The braking force of the shoes 106 can be adjusted by revolving the shaft 109.

The tape A drawn out of the winder 77 passes through the upper portion of the fork of the rocking member 105 and turns upward at the point of the roll 108. When the tape A is tensely strained by the counterclockwise rotation of the winder 77, the roll 108 of the rocking member 105 is pulled upward by the tape A to cause the braking shoes 106 to contact to the cover 85 so as to prevent excessive tension of the tape A due to the inertial rotation of the winder 77 thereby maintaining uniform tension of the tape A.

As shown in FIG. 1, a shaft 110 is rotatably supported at both ends thereof by bearings so as to transverse above the tape A between the base plate 11 and the winder 77. An endless belt is entrained between a pulley of the shaft 110 and a pulley of a shaft 112 which is geared with the shaft 18 of the motor 17 through a gear 111, whereby the shaft 110 is rotated reversely to the rotation of the motor 17. A tape sending roll 113 having knurls therearound is secured to the shaft 110 just above the path of the tape A, an opposed roll 116 with knurls therearound being rotatably mounted on a linkage 114 just below said sending roll 113 so as to press the tape A against the sending roll 113 when the linkage 114 is elevated. The linkage 114 is pivoted at the front portion thereof by means of a pin 115, a roller rotatably mounted at the front end of the linkage 114 being contacted to a cam 117 fixed to the main cam shaft 12, said linkage being biased upwardly by a spring 118. Said roll 116 opposed to the sending roll 113 is adapted to elevate for a predetermined period by the action of the cam 117 through the linkage 114 so that the tape A from the winder 77 is pressed against the sending roll 113 and is forwarded by a predetermined length by the rotation of the roll 113. A tape guide member 119 is disposed between the rear clamping element 43 and the shaft 110 in order to guide the tape A to the slit 45 of the clamping element 43 through the guide channel in the guide member 119, which is pivoted at the rear end thereof so that the front end thereof is turnable up and down. A limit switch 120 is disposed just above the guide member 119 so that when the guide member 119 is caused to turn upwardly by the tension of the tape A, the actuator of the limit switch120 is pressed to cut off the solenoid 23 electrically connected to the limit switch 120 thereby switching the clutch 19 to cause the main rotary shaft 13 to rotate reversely.

A cam 121 is mounted on the main cam shaft 12 for removing the base plate 11 from the underside of the package after welding the tape wound therearound, a rocking arm 122 being pivotally connected to the one side face of the base plate 11, said rocking arm 122 being pivoted at the lower end thereof and biased by a spring 123 so that a roller (not shown) rotatably mounted on the arm 122 at the middle thereof is pressed against the cam 121 whereby the base plate 11 between the lower face of the package and the tape can be extracted therefrom by the rotation of the cam 121.

At the middle of the auxiliary cam shaft is secured a lever 125 which is pivotally connected at the lower end thereof to a rocking lever 127 by loosely inserting a pin 126 into a slot 124 provided in the lower end portion of the lever 125. The rocking lever 127 transversing the main cam shaft 12 is pivoted at the lower end thereof. A cam 128 is secured to the main cam shaft 12 so that the rocking lever 127 will be pushed by the cam 128 to cause the auxiliary cam shaft 15 to rotate clockwise just before the main cam shaft 12 stops to rotate.

The cam shaft 15 is adapted to rotate within predetermined angles counterclockwise and clockwise respectively through the pulley and belt arrangement and through the cam and lever arrangement. When the cam shaft 15 rotates clockwise, the guide plate 32 is restored to the original position where the left portion of the guide plate 32 is below the base plate 11 by the action of the cam 33 provided at the right end of the shaft 15.

A cam 129 is secured to the main cam shaft 12 at the position corresponding to that of the turnable plate 53 so as to adjust the original position of the plate 53 which is returned adjacent its original position by the clockwise rotation of the main rotary shaft 13. A cam 130 is secured to the main cam shaft 12 at the left end portion thereof, a switch 131 being disposed adjacent the periphery of said cam 130 which is adapted to actu ate the switch 131 to stop the motor 17 at the end of one revolution of the cam 130. A cam 133 having a V- shaped recess 132 is secured to the left end of the shaft 12, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, one end of an actuating rod 134 pivoted at the other end thereof being engaged with the periphery of the cam 133, said actuating rod 134 being adapted to actuate a switch 135 so as to operate the solenoid brake 16 electrically connected to the switch 135 when one end of the rod 134 falls in the recess 132 of the cam 133, thereby preventing the inertial rotation of the motor 17 after the switch 33 is cut off to stop the motor 17. Since the solenoid brake 16 needs only to operate for a short period, the switch 135 is adapted to be depressed by the weight of the rod 134 falling in the recess 132 of the cam 133 but immediately thereafter to be released from depression by the rebound of the rod 134. For the purpose of this, a spring 136 is slightly biasing the rod 134 upwardly so as not to prevent the rod from dropping in the recess 132 by the weight thereof. The numeral 138 is an adjustment means for adjusting an operation time of the switch 135 by a cushioning action of a shaft 137 which is elevatable into the adjustment means filled with oil or the like and which lightly contacts to a plate fixed to the rod 134, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4.

The electric circuitry for controlling the binding machine will now be explained in reference to FIG. 2. A relay R0 and a manual switch PB are provided in series between a power source. A contact R01 of the relay R0 and the switch 131 actuated by the cam 130 are provided in series between one side of the power source and the connecting point of the relay R0 and the manual switch PB. Between the power source are provided in series in switch 140 actuated by a cam 139, the switch 120 actuated by the guide member 119 which is elevated by the tension of the tape A travelling therethrough, and the solenoid 23 for switching the clutch 19. A relay R1 is provided in parallel with the solenoid 23.

Between the power source, further, there are provided in series the switch 26 actuated by the core 24 of the solenoid 23, the motor 17, and the starting switch 38. In parallel to the switch 26 is inserted a contact R1 1 of the relay R1. In parallel to the starting switch 38 is provided a switch 142 to be actuated by a cam 141 on the main cam switch 12. Furthermore the switch 135 connected in series with the solenoid brake 16 is provided between the power source at the front of a contact R02 of the relay RO.

In the operation of the binding machine according to the present invention, the tape A drawn out of the winder 77 is travelled below the guide roll 108 of the braking means 104 and the sending roll 113, into the guide slit 45 of the rear clampingelement 43 through the channel in the guide member 119. The tape A is then passed below the guide plate 32, and pulled out of the support plate 10 through'the aperture between the base plate 11 and the plate 10. The tape A is then wound around a package B on the support plate 10, the end of the tape A being inserted into the space 31 between the base plate 11 and the guide plate 32 from above the support plate 1i) until the end of the tape A contacts to and pushes the piece 37 to cause the actuating plate 39 to turn forwardly and to depress the starting switch 38.

On depressing the switch PB, the relay RO is energized to close the contacts R01 and R02 whereby the relay RO is self-held until the switch 131 opens. Since the switches 140 and 120 have been closed the solenoid 23 is energized to cause the core 24 thereof to move rightwardly together with the shaft 14 thereby engaging the prime rotator 22 of the clutch 19 with the right rotator 20 having the pulley. At the same time the switch 26 is released from depression by the core 24.

Since the relay R1 has been energized simultaneously with the solenoid 23, the contact R11 thereof has also been closed. At the same time, the starting switch 38 is switched on by the actuating rod 39 by inserting the tape A between the base plate 11 and the guide plate 32 as mentioned before, the motor 17 starts to rotate counterclockwise. The main rotary shaft 13 is rotated in the same direction through the clutch 19 thereby rotating the auxiliary cam shaft 15 within predetermined angles through the one-way clutch until the lever 125 contacts to a stopper. The auxiliary cam shaft 15 then stops to rotate by the slippage of the transmitting means 29. On the rotation of the cam shaft 15 the guide plate 32 is moved rightwardly away from the base plate 11. a

By the counterclockwise rotation of the main rotary shaft 13, the turnable plate 53 is turned in the same direction by the engagement of the pawl 55 with the ratchet wheel until the pawl contacts to the stopper 57 and disengages from the ratchet wheel 50 while forcing the lever 49 to turn clockwise by the projection 56, as shown by the dot-dash lines in FIG. 6, thereby extending the knuckle link 47 to elevate the rear clamping element 43 after the guide plate 32 is removed from the underside of the base plate 11. As shown in FIG. 11, the end portion of the tape A is clamped between the base plate 11 and the clamping element 43. The cutting heater 42 mounted in the clamping element 43 is projected forward by the action of the bell crank 61 according to the elevation of the element 43. This condition is maintained by the slippage of the turnable plate 53 in respect to the main rotary shaft 13 rotated counterclickwise.

The left clutch member 100 of the one-way delay clutch 97 rotates in the same direction with the main shaft 13 and moves toward the right clutch member 101 by the action of the male screw 99 on the shaft 98 to finally engage with the right clutch member after the clamping element 43 has been elevated and clamped the end portion of the tape A. The winder 77 is rotated counterclockwise through this delay clutch 97 thereby constricting the tape A wound around the package B.

When the tape A is constricted to a predetermined tension, the roller 108 of the braking means 104 is pulled upwardly by the tension of the tape A to cause the member 105 to turn clockwise as viewed from FIG. 8 thereby pressing the shoes 106 against the cover of the winder 77 to brake it so as to prevent excessive tension of the tape A.

By the tension of the tape A, the front end of the guide member 1 19 is elevated to depress the switch 120 to open it thereby deenergizing the solenoid 23 and the relay R1 to cause the contact R11 thereof to open. As a result a current for the motor 17 is cut off and the motor rotates inertially thereby releasing the load on the clutch 19.

During the counterclockwise rotation of the main rotary shaft 13, the main cam shaft 12 is not rotated since the one-way clutch 143 is adapted. not to act in this direction of rotation.

Since the solenoid 23 is deenergized as mentioned above the core 24 thereof is pulled leftward by the spring 25 together with the shaft 14 thereby disengaging the prime rotator 22 from the rotator 20 and engaging the prime rotator 22 with the rotator 21. At the same time the switch 26 is closed by the retreatment of the core 24 and the motor 17 starts again.

By the change-over of the clutch 19, the main rotary shift 13 is rotated clockwise through the gear 28 which transmits the rotation of the motor 17 reversely. The main cam shaft 12 rotates in the same direction with the main rotary shaft 13 through. the one-way clutch 143 while the auxiliary cam shaft 15 stops to rotate owing to the disengagement of the one-way clutch 30 thereby maintaining the guide plate 32 away from the base plate 11.

According to the clockwise rotation of the main cam shaft 12, the front clamping element 40 is elevated by the action of the cam 69 for clamping the end portion of the tape A together with the tape A which extends from the guide slit 45 in the rear clamping element 43 and which overlaps on the end portion of the tape A wound around the package B as shown in FIG. 11. The tape A is thereby prevented from slack.

The turnable plate 53 is turned clockwise by the rotation of the main shaft 13. During the rotation of the plate 53 the pawl 55 engages the ratchet wheel 50 and the projection 56 engages the lower portion of the lever 49 to bend the knuckle link 47 through the link 48 thereby lowering the rear clamping element 43 after the front clamping element 40 has been elevated.

As for the one-way delay clutch 97, the left member is rotated in the same direction with the main rotary shaft 13 while moving along the shaft 102 away from the right member .102, which is rotated within predetermined angles before disengaging from the left member 100 thereby rotating the winder 77 clockwise in the same angles to cause the tape A between the guide member 119 and the winder 77 to slack. The braking means 104 thereby releases the winder from braking. By the slack of the tape A, the front end of the guide member 11 turns to descend and the switch 120 is released from depression to close. However since the switch has been opened by the action of the cam 139 when the main cam shaft 12 starts to rotate, the solenoid 23 is not energized.

By the actions of the cams 68 and 72, the pressing element 41 starts to elevate and the welding heater 44 advances forward. As the rear clamping element 43 is being lowered as mentioned above, the cutting heater 42 is moving backward into the element 43, but still projects out of the element 43. During advancement of the heater 44, the support member 70 thereof engages the receiving plate 65 in the rear clamping element 43 and pushes it to project forward of the element 43 between the upper and lower tapes. The pressing element 41 then contacts to the lower face of the cutting heater 42 and presses it against the lower tape above which is positioned the receiving plate 65 thereby cutting the tape A extending from the winder 77 by fusing.

As the rear clamping element 43 descends, the support member 70 disengages from the receiving plate 65, the front portion of which is caused to retreat into the element 43 by the spring 66. The cutting heater 42 is also retracted in the element 43 by the action of the bell crank 61.

After the rear clamping element 43 has been lowered, the welding heater 44 advances between the upper and lower tapes beneath the base plate 11 according as the rocking link 71 rocks forwardly by the action of the cam 72. At the same time, the pressing element 41 is elevated by the action of the cam 68 so as to press the upper and lower tapes with the heater 44 inserted therebetween against the base plate 11 by means of the spring 67 mounted in the pressing element 41. After a predetermined period for heating and welding the opposed inner faces of the overlapping tapes,

the heater 44 is extracted from between the overlapping tapes by the action of the cam 72, and returns to its original position. Since the heater 44 is slightly pressed against the base plate 11 only by the pressure of the spring 67, the heater 44 can be smoothly retracted and the melted faces of the overlappinng tapes are not scraped off by the retreating heater thereby obviating reduction of adhesion of the tapes.

After the heater 44 is extracted, the pressing element 41 is further elevated and presses the overlapping tapes directly by the thrusting force of the cam 68 through the rod 62 compressing the spring 67 so as to tightly adhere the melted faces of the tapes. After a predetermined interval, the pressing element 41 is lowered by the action of the cam 68.

The front clamping element 40 is then lowered by the action of the cam 69. The base plate 11 is then extracted from between the package B and the tape A of which both ends are securely connected, by the action of the cam 121 which pushes leftwardly the lever 122 pivotally connected to the base plate 11. The package B wound by the tape A can then be removed from the support plate 10.

The base plate 11 is then returned to itsoriginal position by the action of the cam 121 and at the same time the auxiliary cam shaft is rotated clockwise in predetermined angles by the action of the cam 128 of the main cam shaft 12 through the levers 127 and 125 thereby moving the guide plate 32 leftwardly by the action of the cam 33 until the left portion thereof positions below the base plate 11.

The initial position of the turnable plate 53 is then adjusted by the contact of the cam 129 against a projection provided on the rear of the plate 53.

The upper end of the linkage 114 is then elevated by the action of the cam 117 and the roll 116 on the upper end of the linkage 114 presses the tape A against the roll 113 which is rotated by the motor 17 through the gear 11 and the pulley and belt mechanism connecting the shafts and 112. The tape A slightly projecting from the guide slit 45 in the rear clamping element 43 is forwarded by the action of the rolls 113 and 116, so that the end of the tape advances beyond the front end of the guide plate 32 which is beneath the base plate 1 1. The tape A can thus be easily approached from the aperture between the support plate 10 and the base plate 11 for pulling out for a next binding. The roll 116 is then lowered by the action of the cam 117.

When the main cam shaft 12 rotates once, the finishing switch 131 is opened by the action of the cam thereby deenergizing the relay R0 to open the contacts ROI and R02 thereof. As a result a current for the motor 17 is cut off. However the motor 17 may rotate inertially, an in order to prevent this the switch is actuated by the cam 133 so as to energize the solenoid brake 16 for a short period so that the braking of the motor 17 is effected for a short period and released immediately thereafter, thereby assuring the cams on the main cam shaft 12 to stop at their predetermined positions for starting again the operation of the binding machine.

One cycle of the operation is thus completed and each cycle of the operation is performed per one revolution of the cam shaft 12.

As mentioned above the constricting of the tape and adhering of the ends of the tape can be performed fully automatically without any manual operation.

What is claimed is:

1. A package binding machine comprising a support table having an opening on which a package is rested, a base plate slidable below the level of said table in the opening thereof, a guide plate slidable below the base plate towards and away from the base plate, an elevatable first clamping element having a tape guide slit and a tape cutting heater which is adapted to project from the front face of the first clamping element according to the elevation thereof, a winder accommodating a roll of tape which is travelled below the guide plate through the tape guide slit and up to the table through the opening thereof around the package thereon and again below the table into the space between the base plate and the guide plate, said first clamping element being adapted to elevate and press the end portion of the tape against the base plate when the guide plate is removed away from the base plate after the tape is inserted between the base plate and the guide plate, an elevatable second clamping element in front of said first clamping element, said second clamping element being adapted to elevate so as to press the overlapping portions of the tape against the front portion of the base plate after constricting the tape around the package by the rotation of the winder, an elevatable pressing element between the first and second clamping elements, said pressing element being adapted to elevate when the first clamping element begins to descend after the second clamping element clamps the overlapping portions of the tape, and to engage the cutting heater still projecting from the first clamping element so as to press the cutting heater against the tape extending from the guide slit of the first clamping element to fuse the tape, a welding heater adapted to advance between the overlapping portions of the tape below the base plate after the tape is cut by the cutting heater, and to retreat from the overlapping portions of the tape after melting the opposed faces thereof pressed against the welding heater by the pressing element which further presses the overlapping portions of the tape against the base plate after retreatment of the welding heater, said pressing element and the second clamping element being lowered after adhering the overlapping portions of the tape, said base plate being removed from be tween the package and the tape wound therearound, and cam means controlling each mechanism of the machine in timed relation with each other.

2. A package binding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a receiving plate is slidably mounted in said first clamping element above said tape guide slit, said receiving plate being adapted to project above the tape extending from the tape guide slit when said pressing 'element engages the cutting heater projecting from the front face of the first clamping element and presses the cutting heater against the tape.

3. A package binding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a guide member having a channel therethrough is provided between the winder and the first clamping element for guiding the tape into the tape guide slit thereof, said guide member being pivoted at the end thereof facing the winder.

4. A package binding machine as claimed in claim ll, wherein a braking means is provided adjacent the periphery of the winder for braking the winder so as to prevent excessive tension of the tape when constricted around a package by the rotation of the winder.

5. A package binding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a detecting means is provided for detecting tension of the tape, said detecting means being adapted to stop the winder when the tape is constricted with a predetermined tension around a package by the rotation of the winder.

6. A package binding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a detecting means is provided for detecting the condition in which the end of the tape is inserted be tween the base plate and the guide plate, said detecting means being adapted to start said cam means for con trolling each mechanism of the machine.

7. A package binding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a tape sending means is provided between the winder and the first clamping element, said tape sending means being adapted to forward the tape beyond the front edge of the base plate for a next binding after completion of the binding.

8. A package binding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pressing element is adapted to elastically press the overlapping tapes with the welding heater inserted therebetween against the base plate, and to rigidly press the overlapping tapes against the base plate after the welding heater is extracted therefrom. 

1. A package binding machine comprising a support table having an opening on which a package is rested, a base plate slidable below the level of said table in the opening thereof, a guide plate slidable below the base plate towards and away from the base plate, an elevatable first clamping element having a tape guide slit and a tape cutting heater which is adapted to project from the front face of the first clamping element according to the elevation thereof, a winder accommodating a roll of tape which is travelled below the guide plate through the tape guide slit and up to the table through the opening thereof around the package thereon and again below the table into the space between the base plate and the guide plate, said first clamping element being adapted to elevate and press the end portion of the tape against the base plate when the guide plate is removed away from the base plate after the tape is inserted between the base plate and the guide plate, an elevatable second clamping element in front of said first clamping element, said second clamping element being adapted to elevate so as to press the overlapping portions of the tape against the front portion of the base plate after constricting the tape around the package by the rotation of the winder, an elevatable pressing element between the first and second clamping elements, said pressing element being adapted to elevate when the first clamping element begins to descend after the second clamping element clamps the overlapping portions of the tape, and to engage the cutting heater still projecting from the first clamping element so as to press the cutting heater against the tape extending from the guide slit of the first clamping element to fuse the tape, a welding heater adapted to advance between the overlapping portions of the tape below the base plate after the tape is cut by the cutting heater, and to retreat from the overlapping portions of the tape after melting the opposed faces thereof pressed against the welding heater by the pressing element which further presses the overlapping portions of the tape against the base plate after retreatment of the welding heater, said pressing element and the second clamping element being lowered after adhering the overlapping portions of the tape, said base plate being removed from between the package and the tape wound therearound, and cam means controlling each mechanism of the machine in timed relation with each other.
 2. A package binding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a receiving plate is slidably mounted in said first clamping element above said tape guide slit, said receiving plate being adapted to project above the tape extending from the tape guide slit when said pressing element engages the cutting heater projecting from the front face of the first clamping element and presses the cutting heater against the tape.
 3. A package binding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a guide member having a channel therethrough is provided between the winder and the first clamping element for guiding the tape into the tape guide sliT thereof, said guide member being pivoted at the end thereof facing the winder.
 4. A package binding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a braking means is provided adjacent the periphery of the winder for braking the winder so as to prevent excessive tension of the tape when constricted around a package by the rotation of the winder.
 5. A package binding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a detecting means is provided for detecting tension of the tape, said detecting means being adapted to stop the winder when the tape is constricted with a predetermined tension around a package by the rotation of the winder.
 6. A package binding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a detecting means is provided for detecting the condition in which the end of the tape is inserted between the base plate and the guide plate, said detecting means being adapted to start said cam means for controlling each mechanism of the machine.
 7. A package binding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a tape sending means is provided between the winder and the first clamping element, said tape sending means being adapted to forward the tape beyond the front edge of the base plate for a next binding after completion of the binding.
 8. A package binding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pressing element is adapted to elastically press the overlapping tapes with the welding heater inserted therebetween against the base plate, and to rigidly press the overlapping tapes against the base plate after the welding heater is extracted therefrom. 